When Fortune is on our side, popular favor bears her company.

Publilius Syrus was a 1st-century BCE writer of Latin mimes whose lines survived chiefly as sententiae—compact moral maxims excerpted and copied for rhetorical education. This saying belongs to that tradition of Roman practical wisdom about reputation, power, and the volatility of public opinion. In the late Republic, political standing often depended on perceived success as much as on virtue; victories, wealth, and advantageous alliances could rapidly attract supporters. The maxim reflects an observation common in Roman moralizing literature: the crowd’s approval tends to follow visible “Fortune” (good luck, success, favorable circumstances) rather than stable principle.

The line suggests that popularity is frequently a byproduct of success: when circumstances favor us, public approval comes along as an attendant, not as an independent judgment. “Fortune” here personifies the unpredictable forces that elevate or ruin individuals; “popular favor” is depicted as her companion, implying it is fickle and contingent. The implication is cautionary: do not mistake applause for merit, and do not rely on public affection as something earned permanently. It also hints at a strategic truth about social life—people gravitate toward winners—while urging readers to ground their self-assessment in character rather than in the crowd’s shifting esteem.